Privatdetektiv Cliff Hardy (Bryan Brown) soll einen Geschäftsmann finden, der angeblich vor zwei Jahren ertrunken ist. Der Totgegeglaubte, der sich in Wirklichkeit bester Gesundheit erfreut, ist ein eiskalter Gangster. Er hatte sein Ableben inszeniert, um unterzutauchen. Bei seinen Nachforschungen gerät Hardy prompt in Lebensgefahr.

Before shady businessman John Singer disappeared off Bondi Beach, his name meant money--big and small, clean and dirty--a man absorbed in a world of greed and dishonesty. Singer's widow, Marlon, believes he's still alive and she employs the investigative skills of the tough, no-nonsense private eye, Cliff Hardy (Bryan Brown) to find him. Battered and bruised, Hardy battles through the filth of corruption and the stench of political blackmail. He comes face to face with the crime bosses, who feed off human misery and eliminate their rivals without thinking twice. From the high life and low life of Sydney, to the seediness and splendour of Bondi Beach, Cliff Hardy uncovers the ultimate truth.